1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, generally, to the control of audio and/or video transmission devices, and more particularly, to systems and methods for permitting processing of an audio and/or video stream in substantially real-time during a broadcast transmission thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
Broadcasting undesirable, objectionable, or offensive audio and/or video material can have significant consequences for broadcasters, ranging from monetary penalties levied by governmental organizations to the alienation of existing and potential audiences and advertisers.
A conventional “profanity delay” device for censoring portions of an audio broadcast delays audio signals and enables an operator to remove (or “dump”) an interval of audio signal containing objectionable material from a signal to be broadcast. Audio is fed into the profanity delay in a continuous stream, as the program is being produced, but is buffered so that it does not leave the delay for a pre-designated period of time, thereby allowing a console operator or host to respond to a problem by dumping the offensive material before it airs. “Filler audio,” such as a station jingle or ID, a beeping sound, or other audio, can be used to cover the time necessary to build up delay before the program continues. Alternatively and/or additionally, some profanity delay devices use digital signal processing (DSP) to build the required delay slowly over the course of several minutes of programming in a manner undetectable to most listeners.
The profanity delay hardware typically resides in the broadcast facility and is interposed somewhere between the microphone and the transmitter. Accordingly, delay units are typically controlled locally, by a person physically located at the place of broadcast, and do not permit the decision to delete an audio segment to be made remotely by a producer or executive. The necessity for the profanity delay unit operator to be physically present near the equipment is an undesirable constraint. It would be desirable to allow decisions to dump content to be made at and controlled from one or more distant locations, as well as to permit dump decisions to be “distributed” among several physical locations.